My name is Corrie Pendergast. I live in Roanoke, Virginia, with my husband, Charles (Chuck), and our two children: Mikkaylah Grace (eight) and Jaden Micah (ten). We also have thirteen cats, all Ragdolls: Charles and I are breeders; that is our livlihood. We breed Ragdolls for a living.
Mikkaylah is, I'm glad to say, healthy, but Jaden happens to have special needs. He has cerebral palsy and an autism spectrum disorder. He cannot walk or talk, but he is having therapy three days a week. So far, he really hasn't made much progress, but we are forever hopeful that Jaden wil utter his first words and/or take his first steps.
Jaden is in the forth grade. He goes to a school for children with special needs. The teachers there are very patient with him, which is more than we can say about his sister: Mikkaylah is very jealous of her brother because he requires more in the way of attention and time than she does. She would rather spend time with her friends (or with the cats) than to be with Jaden. I don't blame her; Jaden makes life difficult at times.
Jaden likes to be read to, held, cuddled, hold his toy puppy ("Rocky"; "Rocky" is his security blanket), sit in his wheelchair and look out the window. play on the computer (the noise and colors faascinate him to no end), watch preschool shows or classic cartoons on television, and sing in his own way. He would rather be by himself; he has difficulty relating to or being around people, especially if they are strangers. Strange people make him very uncomfortable.
Jaden is very smart, but his disabilities have put him far behind his peers. Even though he is ten, he acts more like a five year old (or younger). This is why he goes to the special school, where teachers there can work with him one-on-one and give him the extra time/attention he so desperately needs.
Well, the phone is ringing. I will write in here again soon. I hope you liked reading about Jaden. Jaden is a good kid, but it is a challenge raising him some times! God bless and have a good day!
~Corrie. :)
